In case anyone's curious about equipment/gear...
My 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro is listed in the Triumph section. No significant issues and I have about 15,000 miles on it now. My 990 at home is better for the more enduro style riding I enjoy more but the Tiger was a better choice for adventure touring. Disclosure: Triumph USA gave me a deal on a used press bike that had about 800 miles on it and a broken right hand guard.
For tires I started with the Motoz Tractionator RallZ which I love for more enduro riding back home in California and elsewhere but for adventure touring I found a more 50/50 tire would perform better. And I'd started with 2500 miles on them already so when I got to Mexico City I figured it was a good time to replace them even though they may have another 1,000 miles on them. I didn't know if I could get Motoz in Guatemala or El Salvador. However, the Motoz guy in Mexico City was out of the GPS tire (50/50) so I got the Dunlop TrailMax Mission tires. Those were really very good for me on the pavement and not bad at all in the dirt. I got to San Jose, Costa Rica and had about 5,000 miles on the Dunlops and they looked like they'd go another 5,000 but again, I got the opportunity to get the GPS from Motoz so I did so. I could have waited until here in Medellin but it's like gas; you don't pass up an opportunity. GPS have been great too and feel like they may have an edge on the Dunlops in the dirt but that's hard to tell. They're in road orientation and they say when you reverse them they do better in the dirt. I did finally get quite a thorough experience with slippery mud here in Colombia and was very surprised how well the GPS (and traction control) got me through some sketchy stuff. The GPS is known as a "K-60 killer" because they last long but have better traction and longevity the K-60 riders want.
Disclosure: Motoz and Dunlop sponsor me and provided the tires at no cost. Motoz has been a sponsor for maybe four years and I very much stand by their products and have used them probably harder than 98% of riders. Dunlop is a recent add and I've only tried the TrailMax Mission and loved them. I want to try their D908RR on the back of my 990 when I fly back in August. They're on sale now for about $159 USD in the US and one thing that had always turned me off was hearing they cost $300 (but that's no longer the case). Luckily no flats yet! (knock on wood). Lots of great tires out there too. The only ones I really try to avoid are the K60 (plastic) and TKC-80 (weak sidewalls, limited mileage). Mitas was a favorite before I discovered Motoz.
My jacket and pants, gloves and helmet are from Klim. Klim was a sponsor a few years ago and no longer but they did help me out with my gear. I bought Klim before that though and really like their stuff. It's gotten much better over the years too. My Carlsbad jacket/pants fit well, vent well, protect well but two things stand out. One is that when riding with others they all have to stop and put on their rain gear when it rains then again to take it off when it stops. I just zip up and keep going as I'm already wearing my "rain gear." My first rain of any kind was heavy rain in Guatemala and the suit kept me dry. The other stand-out is that I'm able to easily open or close all 11 vents easily and safely when riding and don't have to stop like other riders. When I flew to Colombia and Peru last Nov/Dec to help a friend get a bike back from Cusco we were up and down these huge mountains that were nearly 5,000 meters high at 10C and then back down to valleys at 39C and stopping all the time when trying to cover a lot of miles got really annoying. Gloves are the Baja S4 and vent/protect well but aren't waterproof. I have waterproof liners i can put on if I need them. Helmet is the Krios Karbon Pro and works very well for me in fit, weight, noise. The face shield has a Transitions lens that darkens in the sun and lightens at night as well as a Pinlock layer that's suppose to eliminate fog when it's raining. My buddy has the same helmet and when he pointed out the lighter weight saves a ton of fatigue on his neck at the end of a long day I realized he's right and I'd not noticed that. I had the earlier Krios Karbon so it's been a while since I've used a heavier helmet. I think there are many other good gear companies out there like RevIt, Alpinestars, Rukka, etc... but I've never used them.
My panniers, tail bag/back pack and tank bag are all from Rigg Gear. Very inexpensive and durable stuff. I looked up pricing online and found my whole set can be purchased for just over $500 while similar pieces from a better known premium brand will be triple that. Sometimes less is more. They are also a sponsor and provided me the luggage at no cost. I've used Wolfman and AltRider luggage too and liked them both. Again, there are many good luggage mfg's out there and each one has their advantages/disadvantages. The buckles work but I prefer the more traditional plastic squeeze clips more because they only require one hand, they're quicker to get in and out of when your friends or waiting, it's hot, it's raining or in the dark. My first tank bag on my old GSA was $30 from Nelson Rigg (same company) and I didn't like it all all but they've evolved quite a bit since then and have great gear. Their backpack/tailbag I've had for nearly 4 years and it goes everywhere with me. I'd have used Michnus' Turkana Gear but they weren't ready last September when I left.
Hepco Becker pannier racks work great. Have them on my 990 as well. Sturdy and actually less expensive than Triumph OEM! Got the H&B side stand footprint but it didn't fit. Turns out there are two different footprints among the new Tiger 900 line.
GPS is the Voyager Pro from TrailTech. It's better suited to enduro riding where you're following a track or exploring where roads go in remote areas but lacks a database of points of interest (gas stations, etc...) as well as turn by turn directions (but that's what cellphones are good at). The display is better than anything I've seen with the exception of maybe the new Garmin Zumo XT. You can also update the firmware with new features so no need to buy the latest model.
Aftermarket mirrors from DoubleTake. Sturdy and the best for adv in my opinion.
Battery from Yuasa (sponsor too) but it came stock! I've used lithium ion on the 990 but a few pounds on a 500 lb adventure bike isn't a huge selling point and can be harder to start in the cold. Yuasa I think is best suited for adv because they build them so durable. They're designed to withstand the heat/cold changes and vibration better than other brands. I never knew any of that before.
QuadLock wireless charging mount for my phone has been great but I tend to go through a lot of USB C cords which is really common with the cords. I got the vibration isolation mount with it but my iPhone is a bit older and doesn't have the image stabilization that other phones have seen as a point of failure.
Auxiliary lights from Cyclops ADV which were given to me but it was six years ago and moved over from the 990. They are extremely well designed and built. Very durable too. The stock aux lights from Triumph aren't nearly as good. Apparently they're illegal in Nicaragua though! I was told just to say "they came stock with the bike" if stopped and to generally not use them. Many have the Clearwater lights and those are fantastic too (used them in Puerto Rico and Colombia) but $300 vs $969 is a no-brainer for me given performance. Plus I've had two friends recently have issues with their Clearwater lights and were not happy with how it was handled. They had water intrusion they both claim didn't occur after a drop and were told they'd have to pay a significant amount to get it fixed. Cyclops ADV has a lifetime guarantee. Clearwater I heard was recently purchased by a much larger moto parts company so I'm not sure if that's the reason but I'm not paying 3x the price and getting less protection.
I'm using the Zoleo Satellite communicator which is a new company out of Canada. They are less expensive both up front as well as monthly and their mid-tier plan is a much better value than Garmin's InReach. Like InReach, there's an app for your phone you can use to send messages to friends/family. My only complaint is they don't yet have a link you can share that shows your location. When you send a message or push the emergency button it does show your location but not an active link that shows where you are as you move. They say they'll have it this year but haven't seen it yet. It's simply a programming issue. If you are indeed lost or missing and your family/friends contact Zoleo, they can see where you are if it's on but it's nice to just share a simple link. Zoleo and InReach both use the Iridium satellite network which is supposed to be better coverage than SPOT's satellite network. I used SPOT for years with no complaints. A buddy of mine had an issue with InReach's customer service only being M-F 9-5 and switched to SPOT because theirs is 24/7/365 as is Zoleo's. A friend of mine is a Zoleo retailer and he gave me one but I pay the monthly on it.
I brought camping gear but embarrassed to say I've barely used it. You can camp if you really want to but Central America is more dense and with a lot of private property. Plus, rooms are super cheap. I have typically paid $5-20 per night so I haven't seen the need to camp yet. But South America is much larger, spread out and not as dense and I very much like camping. My pad and bag are rated to 15 F and are from a small direct to consumer company out of Utah called Outdoor Vitals.
Many of these big gear companies in trying to be better corporate citizens and protect the environment have donated a lot of money to groups who are shutting down responsible access to our public lands. This company doesn't which is why I chose them. I think companies mean well (North Face, REI, Nemo, Kelty, etc...) but I think there's room also to support education and trail advocacy groups who want the same things and are a public service. Some like Patagonia have become super radical, in my opinion and I want nothing to do with it. I have a lot of gear from these companies that I'm not going to throw away but new purchases I try to research a bit first. My two cents at least.
I have some GSI cookware and a tiny no-name butane burner with foldable wind shield.
I also carry tools, water filters (I do water projects for a charity called Motorrad Angels) and some small tools for that too.
My main issue now is hydration. I don't want to carry anything on my back and I had a nice bladder type hydration pack in my tank bag but it broke. Those are harder to find here. I bring a big water bottle but I really need a new water bladder.
